Prefabricated modules for use in buildings have been known for quite some time. The modules size and appearance may vary depending on its application. Within the area of the prefabricated modules it is known that such modules may accommodate wet areas, such as bathrooms or kitchens; cf. for instance GB-A-1,213,009.
EP-A-462,790 discloses a building system which comprises rooms formed from prefabricated room units, wherein the units include walls and a ceiling. The room units are arranged in rows where each row has adjacent pairs of room units and where each pair of units is structural mirror images of each other. Even though the elements are prefabricated, there is still a lot of work to be done with the interior before the building may is ready to use as e.g. a hotel. The work at the construction site is time-consuming and expensive since many workers must be hired to finish the interiors. Hence, this known system involves high costs which probably is the main reason why it has not been put into practice.
US-A-2005/0108957 discloses a prefabricated module which is intended to be used in a multi-story building. The modules may contain a bathroom, a kitchen, a staircase or a combination of the previous mentioned and may be stacked on top of each other and then installed concurrently with the surrounding structure. One module may be configured to have a dual room layout which means that the module will include e.g. two bathrooms which are a mirror image of each other. Additionally, each module has a vertical shaft which includes features like water supply, water sewage and, ventilation shaft. This known system is complicated and suffers from the same problem as the costly system described above.
As to background art, WO-A-2006/13653 could be mentioned as well since it discloses a prefabricated service pod. However, this publication does not suggest low-cost prefabrication based on non-complex structures. Hence, the proposed service pods are not suitable for building projects of the type today's market demands.
Prefabricated elements for buildings do not only include service pods and the like, but also various types of wall and panel elements. An example of such an element is disclosed in EP-A-565,842. However, this known element only constitutes a part of a building and the publication does not suggest any overall solution to the problem of how to construct an entire building which meets today's requirements of low-cost construction projects to be performed under time pressure.
In view of the above-mentioned disclosures, there is a need for an improved solution for building systems based on prefabricated modules.